Sassuolo is in no condition the most exciting club of Emilia-Romagna given the large competition within the region. However, it is a club with a remarkable story, and its central location makes it perfect to combine with other nearby clubs.
Sassuolo used to play a marginal role in Italian football until the eighties when they were more or less adopted by the company Mapei, producer of building materials. With the money of Mapei, the climb up the ranks started and led to a promotion to Serie A in 2013. Since then, the club has become a trampoline for young talent. They have played Europa League football and have delivered three players (Manuel Locatelli, Domenico Berardi and Giacomo Raspadori) to European champions Italy.
The march of Sassuolo meant that the club outgrew the small stadium in their hometown. A solution was found in Reggio-Emilia, thirty kilometres away from Sassuolo. The Stadio Grigio was covered in dust since home team Reggiana descended to the basements of Italian football. It was bought by Mapei, and since then it has been the home of Sassuolo. Not our favourite stadium, but the four, squared floodlights are the highlights (quite literally).
Stadio Enzo Ricci still exists in Sassuolo, where the football club played the majority of its history. The stadium on the Via Fossetta was not suitable for higher-level football, and when Sassuolo was promoted to Serie B in 2008, the club decided to move to another stadium. It's still there and was recently still used by the first team as their training ground.
Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi is small but lovely, with its salmon-pink houses, arches and bell tower. It's the place where Sassuolo used to celebrate its promotions, most recently in 2013 when the promotion to Serie A was achieved.
Although Sassuolo doesn't play its home games within city limits anymore, during the week Sassuolo is still the home base of the club. The first team and the directors have their home at the brand-new Mapei Football Center, the training ground on the Via Giorgio Squinzi 1.
When Sassuolo was promoted to Serie B in 2008, they found a temporary solution in Modena, twenty kilometres north of Sassuolo. Stadio Alberto Braglia, home to the local football pride of Modena, became the home of Sassuolo for a couple of years whilst the Mapei Stadium was being renovated. The stadium is named after an Italian gymnast. It's popular among musicians as well: Sting, Prince, U2 and many others have held concerts here.
If you're in Reggio-Emilia anyway, you can't ignore the original club of the city: Reggiana, which was still active in Serie A in 1997. The Stadio Mirabello on Via Mirabello is a nice example of a concrete stadium. The main stand is built on top of the street. Reggiana played here for the last time in 1995.
Sassuolo is almost never sold out, so getting tickets isn't usually a problem. You can order them easily at the official website of the club.
MAPEI Stadium is quite far from the city centre of Reggio-Emilia, but it's very well accessible by car. The A1 Milan - Naples passes the stadium (exit Reggio-Emilia). Follow the signs with the little football and within minutes you'll stand in front of Sassuolo's home.
The stadium has its own train station as well. Regional trains stop here and in the centre of Reggio Emilia too, which you can reach with long-distance trains as well.
Images: Shutterstock, BSR Agency
